Praha -> München

Hey Guys,

Last update from Prague before I jump on the train to Munich tomorrow morning. First I'm gonna mention some cultural differences I've noticed on my trip so far:

-The Netherlands love orange juice, and make very good freshly-squeezed OJ. I actually spent more money on two glasses of OJ than the rest of my meal one breakfast there.

-Citizens of the Czech Republic (#1 per capita beer consuming country in the world) will drink beer (mainly the national brew, Pilsner Urquell) at any time. When I leave in the morning, I see tons of people sitting outside having a beer around 9 AM) [Note: yes Dad, I've been getting up before noon]

-Everything here is very cheap. Especially beer, which is usually around 35 Kc (under $2 US). I just had a great Czech meal (rabbit, dumplings, and a beer) for 300 Kc (about $15) including tip.



As far as my recent activity, I've seen most of the main attractions at this point. I've watched a few world matches from the Old Town Square,where they have a big screen set up, and tons of food and beer stands around.



I took a great tour of Prague yesterday, that talked mainly about the architectural history of the city (most parts were built in 1300's), and state of the city through the world wars and Velvet Revolution in 1989, when communism was overthrown. The political rallies for this were held in Wenceslas Square, shown below. (Yes, the same as King Wenceslas from the Christmas song, but that's actually erroneous, as he never held the title of "King")



Another thing I really enjoyed was the Museum of Communism. It detailed from post-WWI Czechoslovakia to the velvet revolution in 1989. The difference in this communist state was absurd - people were regularly being jailed by the Secret Police, and shot if they tried to cross the border. They had some very interesting anti-America propaganda up on display as well. One room showed video of the riots proceeding the Velvet Revolution - an inspiring account of people coming together to overthrow an overpowering government.

Well that's it for now. I'm going to pack and get ready to head out with a few friends I've met from the hostel. Prague has been great to me, but there's tons more to see in Munich, Italy, and beyond.

Auf Wiedersehen,
Colin